Principles for Relationships from God's Word by Claudio Consuegra

When you should seek help – 3

Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in your midst? Has your counselor perished? For pangs have seized you like a woman in labor. Micah 4:9 (NKJV)

Kristen Kansiewicz suggests a few more times you should consider seeing a professional Christian counselor:

When Tragedy Strikes. Typically when we experience the death of a loved one or a traumatic incident, we get a lot of support from family, friends, coworkers, and our church family. We receive cards expressing sympathy, people bring food to our house, and some people offer comforting conversations. Unfortunately, after some time all these expressions of love and support begin to wane or go away altogether. Grieving is a normal process and some of us can walk through that dark valley of the shadow of death with the support we have in our lives. Others experience great amounts of pain which goes above and beyond what any family member or friend can provide.

Death is not the only thing that can cause us serious consternation. Traumatic events can also affect people and it affects different people differently. Some people experience anxiety symptoms right away, while others seem to be more resilient in the first few months after the event but they then experience a sudden wave of flashbacks or thoughts about it. There are people who bounce back without experiencing any clinical symptoms at all. Nobody knows why we all respond differently, but anytime you have experienced a traumatic event it is worth talking about it with a professional. Getting support can both help you learn to cope, and it helps your brain to process them into long-term memory.

In speaking about the death of her husband, Ellen White writes, “My husband’s death was a heavy blow to me, more keenly felt because so sudden. As I saw the seal of death upon his countenance, my feelings were almost insupportable. I longed to cry out in my anguish…I sought help and comfort from above, and the promises of God were verified to me. The Lord’s hand sustained me.”[i] While God sustains us, we can also seek help from professionals.

Father God, sometimes you use others to help us. In my time of grief and anguish please lead me to those that will help me.